January 18, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



119 



a seismometer recording the movements of the 

 soil during earthquakes which have their 

 origin near the place of observation. The in- 

 strument must satisfy the following condi- 

 tions : (1) It must he able to register both 

 horizontal and vertical movements. (2) It 

 must be of simple construction. The record 

 must give a magnification of not less than 40 

 to 50 times. (3) The selling price of the in- 

 strument, with the registering apparatus, 

 must be as low as possible ($75 approxi- 

 mately). Four prizes are offered, having the 

 respective values of about $250, $175, $125 and 

 $75. The instruments must be sent at the ex- 

 pense and risk of the competitors to the Vice- 

 president of the Association, Dr. J. P. van 

 der Stok, De Bilt, Netherlands, before Sep- 

 tember 1, 1907, and are to be exhibited at the 

 general meeting of the association which will 

 be held at The Hague during the month of 

 September. The efficiency of the instrument 

 will be investigated at the Central Bureau, 

 Strasburg, and the awards will be determined 

 by a jury composed of five seismologists 

 chosen by the permanent commission. The 

 results will be announced at Easter, 1908. 

 For further particulars apply to Professor G. 

 Gerland, director of the Central Bureau, 

 Strassburg i. E. 



During the past season. Dr. W. W. Atwood 

 began an investigation of the more important 

 coal fields of Alaska. This work will probably 

 occupy at least three years and will include 

 (1) a broad study of the coal-bearing forma- 

 tions with the aim of correlating the coal 

 horizons in the different portions of the terri- 

 tory, (2) a comparative study of the coals, in- 

 eluding the sampling for analysis of all work- 

 able coal seams investigated, (3) estimates of 

 the amount of coal available, and (4) a study 

 of the methods of mining and marketing 

 Alaskan coals. The plan for the first season 

 was to visit the Controller Bay and Cook In- 

 let coal fields. The early part of the second 

 season, 1907, will probably be spent in south- 

 eastern Alaska, but most of that summer's 

 work will be done in the interior. It is ex- 

 pected that during 1908 the studies along the 

 coast will be resumed and pushed westward so 



as to include all important coal fields on the 

 Alaskan peninsula and neighboring islands. 



The secretaries of the organizing com- 

 mittee on the union of medical societies hav- 

 ing their headquarters in London, have written 

 to the British Medical Journal as follows : 

 Twelve societies have decided to join the 

 union, namely: British Electro-Therapeutic; 

 British Gynaecological; British Laryngolog- 

 ical, Ehinological, and Otological; Clinical of 

 London ; Dermatological of Great Britain and 

 Ireland; Dermatological of London; Epidemi- 

 ological; Neurological; Odontological of 

 Great Britain; Obstetrical of London; Patho- 

 logical of London ; Eoyal Medical and Chirur- 

 gical. Four societies are willing to join 

 under certain conditions, namely: British 

 Balneological and Climatological ; Laryngo- 

 logical of London; Otological of the United 

 Kingdom ; • Therapeutical. In the case of 

 some societies, such as the Anatomical of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, the Physiological, 

 the Medico-Psychological, and the Medico- 

 Legal, there are peculiar difficulties, but the 

 members of certain of these societies have in- 

 dicated their willingness to form similar sec- 

 tions in the new society. Five societies have 

 definitely refused to join the union, namely: 

 Life Assurance Medical Officers' Association, 

 Medical Society of London, Ophthalmological 

 Society of the United Kingdom, Society of 

 Anaesthetists, Society for the Study of Dis- 

 eases of Children. The first meeting of the 

 representatives of the societies which are 

 forming the union will be held at 20 Hanover 

 Square on Friday, January 18, at 5 p. m. 



The U. S. Geological Survey has published 

 a report by Messrs. C.-E. A. Winslow and 

 Earle B. Phelps of their investigations on the 

 purification of Boston sewage. In an intro- 

 ductory chapter written by Professor William 

 T. Sedgwick the explanation is made that an 

 anonymous friend of the Massachusetts In- 

 stitute of Technology had, in 1902, presented 

 to that institution the sum of $5,000 a year 

 for three years, for the purpose of making 

 experiments on sewage purification and of 

 giving the widest possible publicity to means 

 or methods by which the present too often 

 crude and imperfect systems may be improved. 



